Great Western Adventures
by bbll22
Summary: *CHAPTER 3 NOW UP* A collection of stories featuring the Great Western Engines of Sodor; Duck and Oliver! With a story each to their name and anything that comes after that, the pair of them want to show in so many ways how great Great Western Engines really are! Please review!
1. Duck and The Egg and Spoon Race

Lee's Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends

Stories

**Duck and the Egg and Spoon Race**

Duck, the Great Western Tank Engine is a hard worker who never tires of a day's work. He never moans, and he just does the job to the best of his ability, but from time to time, he still remembers the past where he was much happier. Back then Duck had two coaches who he pulled with him on every journey he had. Their names were Alice and Mirabel, but after they went to the menders for a routine check, they never returned. Duck accepted that they'd moved on, but hoped some day that they would come back, and they did. It was a Spring Morning and the Fat Controller stood there before Duck with both Alice and Mirabel looking on at him. The Fat Controller had found them and had them restored just for Duck. He also told Duck that they were to be used for the children's Sports Day where him and his wife would be taking a journey in Alice and Mirabel.

"Blimey!" said Duck as the preparations for the Sports Day began.

The Spring air and atmosphere to the day meant everyone was in a cheery mood, especially Duck. The fact he now had Alice and Mirabel back filled a void for him that he thought he'd never be able to fill again, he just felt wonderful. This was helped aswell by the Sports Day. Duck likes helping out the children of Sodor, and helping take some of them to the event itself in Alice in Mirabel made him feel like a really useful engine. As he was being polished, Duck noticed Oliver and Toad in the distance, he wanted to say hello, but he didn't want to shout out as the man polishing him told him to keep still, but Duck didn't.

"Oliver!" called out Duck "Toad! Hello you two!" he carried on. Oliver tooted his whistle in return and replied.  
"Hello Duck..." while Toad simply added.

"Good day Mr. Duck. How are you?"  
"Fine!" replied Duck who smiled widely. The man polishing Duck wasn't too happy however.

"What did I say? I asked you to keep still and you didn't! You've got polish and your chin now!" he shouted at Duck.

"I'm sorry..." replied Duck who felt very silly now.

"So you should..." muttered the man under his breath who then walked away in an angry mood.

Later on that morning, Duck had coupled upto Alice and Mirabel and made his way to Maithwaite Station where many of the children were waiting. They cheered as he pulled up at the station where the Fat Controller and Lady Hatt were also waiting. The Fat Controller was dressed as he normally was, although he had a brand new Top Hatt which shone in the Spring Sunlight. Meanwhile, Lady Hatt was in a bright Yellow dress with a bright yellow Bonnet and looked as resplendent as ever.

"My, my Topham..." sighed Lady Hatt. "What a wonderful idea it was for you to bring those carriages back, they look magnificent!"  
"Thankyou dear..." replied the Fat Controller who then stood on the footplate of Alice. "Everyone, I am proud yo say that we are ready to take everyone to the newly-named Sodor Oak fields where the School Sports Day is taking place. Me and my Wife are visiting today to see the event take place and maybe even complete ourselves!" Lady Hatt suddenly stopped smiling as the Fat Controller finished his sentence.

"You're kidding aren't you, Topham?" she asked.

"No dear..." replied the Fat Controller. "We're going to take part in the Egg and Spoon Race! It'll be a lot of fun!"  
"It won't..." retorted Lady Hatt.  
"Never mind now dear...let's get on board!" and they did. The Fat Controller and Lady Hatt boarded Alice as did some of the children while the others climbed onboard Mirabel. Duck's driver then got the message and then they were off.  
"Sports Day here we come!" cried Duck.  
"Sports Day here we come!" copied Alice and Mirabel who were ever so happy.

The journey to the Field was taken at a canter and everyone onboard enjoyed the Spring Surroundings. Duck was enjoying the ride there as were Alice and Mirabel who were smiling as wide as they could.  
"Go slower!" they cried. "We want to make this last as long as it can!"  
"That wouldn't be nice to the children though would it?" replied Duck. Alice and Mirabel agreed and let Duck carry on as normal and soon enough, Duck, Alice and Mirabel arrived at the Sodor Oak-Fields. The passengers departed and the children got ready for the events of the day. The Fat Controller then thanked Duck for a wonderful journey and then made their way to their seats. Duck then pulled into a nearby siding to watch the events. Alice and Mirabel were also watching too and were still smiling very wide, but seeing the children having fun made them smile even more.

"Who'd have thought smiling hurts?" called Alice.

"I never did!" laughed Mirabel.  
"Oh be quiet..." called Duck as the serious events were now underway. The children were very serious as the Teacher shouted out to begin the Three-legged race. Duck's driver and fireman were competing for the fun of it but soon fell over and were out of the race. Duck laughed at they fell but cheered as the winners crossed the line. Events came and went over the course of the morning and into the afternoon and then came the important one, the Egg and Spoon Race. For winning, like any other event, the winner would receive the prestigious Sir Topham Hatt Medal and a Rosette from the school, but this event was more important than any other, no-one knew why, it just was. The children lined up ready with their eggs and spoons when the Fat Controller and Lady Hatt joined into their lanes.  
"Topham! I can't believe were doing this!" cried Lady Hatt.

"Neither can I!" replied The Fat Controller. They looked on with apprehension as the wait for the start of the race began.

"On your marks! Ready! Steady! Go!" cried the Teacher as the Egg and Spoon Race got underway. The children immediately got further ahead of the Hatt's who were being extra careful.  
"Topham...get back into your lane!" cried Lady Hatt who was taking it very seriously.

"Sorry dear!" replied The Fat Controller. Duck, Alice and Mirabel may have been in sidings, but they were actually quite close to the race, it was almost as if they were there. The front-runners were heading towards them and everyone was cheering them on. Soon enough, a little girl crossed the line as the winner and the crowd erupted in cheers. The remaining children soon finished after and meant the Hatt's were the only one's left. They neared the finish line when it happened. The Fat Controller lost his footing on the ground and fell over and into Lady Hatt's lane. His egg flew off his spoon and splatted right onto Alice and Mirabel.  
"Urgh!" they cried. "How disgusting!" Duck burst out laughing, but the action wasn't over yet as Lady Hatt was in trouble. His husband's sudden appearance in her lane made her lose her balance and then she fell too. Her egg flew from her spoon and eventually splatted on her and the Fat Controller. The crowds fell silent and no-one dared laughed as Lady Hatt erupted in fury.  
"TOPHAM! MY DRESS IS RUINED!"  
"Sorry dear..." he replied. Everyone remained silent still as the Fat Controller and Lady Hatt got to their feet. Lady Hatt immediately stormed off to find a telephone.  
"I'm going home dear!" she called. "I'm not staying in an egg-stained dress!"  
"Fine dear..." replied the Fat Controller who was cleaning his new Top Hat. No-one else knew what to do as the atmosphere had changed quite drastically.

Some time later, Duck, Alice and Mirabel were back coupled up and ready for the children to board again when the Fat Controller came to see him.  
"I'm sorry for the Wife not coming back with you Duck...things happen, unexpected things most certainly..." he said as the smell of egg in the air was quite apparent.  
"No problem, Sir. If I was her, I wouldn't want to be in that situation either." replied Duck.  
"Nor me!" joked the The Fat Controller as he got onboard Alice who wasn't happy at all.  
"Urgh...eggs...horrid!" she cried. But she had to cope as the journey got underway once more as everyone returned home with either a rosette, a medal or the smell of eggs on their clothes.


	2. Oliver and the Judge

Lee's Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends

Stories

**Oliver and the Judge**

Oliver the Great Western Engine is one of the hardest-working engines on Sodor. He never tires of duties now after overcoming the troubles he suffered with the Troublesome Trucks and S.C. Ruffey, so whatever is set for him, he will do it to the best of his ability and there is no doubt in that. One day, while undertaking freight duty, Oliver and Toad noticed a man with an usual hairstyle.  
"It's very curly..." said Oliver to Toad.  
"Indeed it is Mr. Oliver..." agreed Toad.  
"Don't be silly..." interrupted Oliver's driver. "That's not his real hair. That's a wig. He's a Judge!" Oliver and Toad blushed at their stupidity and immediately but their minds straight back to work, although they noticed that the Judge wasn't looking very happy at all. His car had seemingly broken down and he kept looking at his watch, so he must have been running late. Then, as they were passing, Oliver and Toad noticed Butch the Recovery Unit pulling up next to the Judge's car. He was giving him a lift, and that was that, the Judge became happy and was back on his way. All was fine for him, for now.

The next morning, Oliver and Toad were relaxing at the sheds when Oliver's driver came along with a copy of the newspaper. He had a bizarre smirk on his face, but the reason for that soon became apparent.  
"It's that Judge..." he said to the pair at the sheds. He then turned the newspaper round to Oliver and Toad who then glanced at the headline 'Judge Mordue sends Burglars to Prison'. Oliver and Toad then each pulled a similarly bizarre smirk as the picture below the headline showed the Judge standing proud and important.  
"Probably a good idea we didn't try and help then..." said Oliver jokingly.  
"Indeed." agreed Toad. "He hardly looks like a barrel of laughs does he Mr. Oliver?" he then asked.  
"Not at all..." replied Oliver. "I'd rather be working with the Troublesome Trucks all day than helping him out..." he added. As the morning progressed and Oliver's driver and fireman were ready for work, Oliver set off with his first passenger train of the day. Toad wasn't allowed to join them, so he was working alongside Duck for the morning.  
"Cheer up Toad..." said Duck. "He'll be back soon!"  
"Indeed he will Mr. Duck" replied Toad who was now smiling widely. The morning carried on for them all with ease and as Oliver pulled up at the station to let his passengers leave, he noticed the Court in the distance. He'd only ever noticed the building before and never took much notice of what its purpose was until now. But now he knew where Judge Mordue worked and just as he thought that, he saw his car pull up outside the entrance. He appeared to be late once more and this seemed to make him even more angry than the last time, so Oliver cautiously steamed by and didn't say a thing to him or whistle to him. He felt this would be the best option for the time being.

"Well done on another good sentencing Graeme..." said a Barrister to Judge Mordue.  
"Why thankyou...I felt the sentence was both lenient and justified at the same time..." replied Judge Mordue.

"Let's just hope your next case to Judge won't be as difficult..." said another Barrister. "It's an early start Graeme, you better get your car fixed very soon..." he then added warily.

"I know..." replied Judge Mordue. "I haven't got enough money to repair it yet, but it's coping. I will be here!"  
The Barristers looked on and accepted his reply but were left with the thought that he wouldn't make, something was telling them that, and they really did expect it to happen. Meanwhile, Oliver was once more passing by the line which was across from the Court. This time, he saw Judge Mordue leaving and thought he'd might aswell whistle at him. He did and also blew steam at the same moment. The steam blurred Judge Mordue's vision and blew off his wig. He wasn't happy at all.  
"You silly engine!" he cried. "Never do that again!" he then commanded. Oliver felt very silly now and stayed quiet for the rest of his journey.

When Oliver returned to shed later that day, he reflected on his silly actions and instantly wanted to apologise.  
"I feel so daft..." he said Toad.  
"There's no need for that Mr. Oliver. He's just not the kind of person who accepts friendly gestures like that. You can get over it and move on..." comforted Toad kindly, but Oliver didn't look as if he could. However, he put on a smile, his usual one and braced himself for more work. Atleast he wouldn't feel daft doing that and as the day came to an end, Oliver felt sensible once more and seemed happy again, although Toad was noticing that he was riding much rougher than normal and it was annoying the cattle trucks he was taking very much so.  
"Oi! Calm down!" they cried, but Oliver still rode roughly until the duty was done. Then, at the sheds he forced himself to sleep even before Toad got a chance to say goodnight to him. Something was up with Oliver and Toad didn't like it at all...

The next morning, Oliver and Toad set off early with freight duty and took it at a canter. All was seemingly fine as Oliver wasn't riding roughly anymore and the duty itself was quite an easy one in itself. So, there were no worries at all. Then, on the road next to where Oliver was passing by, a familiar car was struggling to carry on along the road. It was Judge Mordue's car, and Oliver and Toad couldn't believe it as all of a sudden the engine to his car spluttered one last time and he came to a halt. Judge Mordue got out of his car and he immediately flagged down Oliver to stop and his driver and fireman obliged.  
"Oh dear..." muttered Oliver to himself as Judge Mordue, in all his Judge attire and a briefcase in hand stepped onto Oliver's footplate.  
"To the Court, please!" commanded Judge Mordue.

"You're lucky we're going that way..." remarked Oliver's driver.  
"Well go on then, set off!" replied Judge Mordue impatiently. Then, in no time at all, Oliver, the freight train, Toad and Judge Mordue were off and were on their way to the Court. Along the way, Judge Mordue realised that Oliver was the train who whooshed him the other day.  
"I'm sorry I was angry at you..." he said to Oliver. "I wasn't in a friendly mood. I really do apologise for my outburst!"  
"Good..." muttered Oliver to himself as he neared the Court. Judge Mordue appeared to be enjoying the experience quite a bit and this surprised everyone, but soon enough they arrived at a sensible place to stop and Judge Mordue got out and waved goodbye. He was just in the nick of time and smiled as he entered the Court. Later that day, Judge Mordue caught up with Oliver to thank him for the ride.  
"It was much appreciated..." he said. "I couldn't thankyou anymore"  
"No problem Judge Mordue..." replied Oliver.  
"Please call me Graeme...I'm not working at the moment..." said Judge Mordue with a smile. He then chatted to Oliver and Toad for a good while before taking a good walk home as his car was now in for repairs.


	3. Miss Sophie

Lee's Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends

Stories

**Miss Sophie**

An important visitor was coming to the Island of Sodor and Lady Hatt was the most excited of all. The famous fashion model, Miss Sophie, was due to come to the Island to launch her new range of clothes and showcase it all in a catwalk show – Lady Hatt loves fashion and Miss Sophie for her celebrity status, and was overjoyed when she had finally persuaded her to come to Sodor. The preparations had been in the planning for some time, but Lady Hatt still couldn't quite believe that her fashion idol was soon on her way.  
"This will be the best fashion show she has ever done!" said Lady Hatt proudly to her husband. "Miss Sophie is _the_ choice for any fashion show."  
"Hmmm…." agreed the Fat Controller even though he didn't really have a clue or care about fashion at all.

The wind was strong when Miss Sophie arrived in a blaze of media attention and bustling crowds but it was nothing to worry about at all. She calmly and elegantly walked around in the model-like ways for the press and signed autograph after autograph for the big crowds. She looked every inch the superstar with her long flowing green dress and big cream coloured hat. Her long blonde hair flowed down to her shoulders but it was unmoved in the strong winds. Gordon had proudly brought her to Sodor from the Mainland and expected to be taking her wherever she needed to go from here on in. This wasn't the case though as Gordon was called away on other duties leaving his role vacant for the time being.  
"I should take Miss Sophie!" said James indignantly to Emily from a siding not far away from the station. "She clearly loves red," James then continued. "I'm the choice."  
"She doesn't wear red, ever…" pointed out Emily. "She wears a lot of green, so therefore I'm best."  
"Huh…" scoffed James. "I've pulled important trains before; Miss Sophie requires experience." he then added. Emily was going to give a response but was cut short but the sudden whistle of an incoming train.  
"Who's that?" she asked as the whistle got louder and louder. James was just as puzzled until one last loud and long whistle brought the engine into view – it was Duck.  
"They are kidding aren't they?" James spluttered rudely. "Since when is Duck used for these kinds of things?" Emily just smiled.  
"I suppose he's green, so it suits well…" she then remarked as James fell silent. Duck meanwhile pulled into the station with the crowds still cheering loudly at Miss Sophie. Linking up with his carriages, he waited for what seemed like ages until Miss Sophie was finally ready to set off.  
"Apologies," she said politely to Duck and his crew. "I do get so very carried away when in front of the cameras."  
"It's no problem." said Duck. "I best just be a bit quicker for your tour of the Island though!"  
"A tour of Sodor?" said Miss Sophie.  
"Indeed," smiled Lady Hatt as she led Sophie into the carriage. "Nothing less for a superstar on Sodor…"

Duck was happy and was in shock that he'd been chosen for the job but he was loving every moment of it. His tour may have now finished but he was taking Miss Sophie to her fashion show at the Sodor Exhibition Centre. Whooshing through stations and whistling loudly, he felt like he Gordon with the most important job on the Island. He could sort of see why Gordon could get a bit pompous now but Duck tried to remain humble and grateful for being selected.  
"It's just a job, any job…" he said to himself. "Anyone else could have got it…" he added as the winds brushed alongside him. The weather was becoming a slight concern for Lady Hatt and she was becoming worried the show would be ruined by any strong winds playing havoc with Miss Sophie's lovely hair and stunning clothes.  
"Take your time; Duck…" she warned as she kept a close eye on the weather. "We don't want to ruin our guest's hair or clothes, do we?"  
"There really is no need for all this fuss, Jane…" Sophie then said. Lady Hatt just smiled but couldn't help but keep a watchful eye out on the weather. Everything had to perfect in Lady Hatt's eyes and the weather was threatening to ruin it altogether. Duck meanwhile was happy, the wind was at times a bit harsh on him and it was rattling him a bit but he didn't mind.  
"It's just a job…" he said again as he steamed past Elizabeth the quarry lorry. She smiled and beeped her horn loudly at the passing train. She knew it was Miss Sophie on there and Elizabeth adored her sense of style.  
"If I was a person, I would be her…" she muttered quietly to herself as she trundled along the road to carry on with her work. "If only…"

Duck's carriages clattered loudly as the winds grew stronger and fiercer with each passing minute. He was being battered by the winds and the journey was becoming less comfortable for Lady Hatt and Miss Sophie too. The carriages were being tipped one way and then the other.  
"Duck, slow down!" called Lady Hatt.  
"We have…" said Duck's driver. "It's the wind's fault, not ours!" he protested but Lady Hatt was less than convinced. Miss Sophie tried to calm her down.  
"I should be the one worrying Jane, not you. It is my fashion show after all." she said. Lady Hatt sighed.  
"I know," she said. "I just want everything perfect that's all. My husband is such a perfectionist and I think it's rubbed off on me."  
"Sir Topham is a wonderful man," remarked Sophie.  
"A _very_ wonderful man…" corrected Lady Hatt as the pair then and smiled and laughed. The winds may have been rocking the carriage but they didn't mind now, everything was fine. However, not everything was fine though as out of nowhere and all of a sudden a fallen tree branch crashed through the far side carriage window of Duck's train. Lady Hatt and Miss Sophie screamed as glass shattered onto the floor and the wind howled around them. Duck came to a halt as soon as he could while men tried to take control of the situation. No-one could believe what had happened and assumed the strong winds were the cause behind the branch's sudden appearance in the carriage. Duck knew in an instant that the job was over for him now as it wasn't safe to continue like this. Lady Hatt knew it too and wanted a replacement getting as quickly as possible. It came sooner than expected.  
"Is everything alright?" called a grand voice through the loud wind. It was Elizabeth. "Is there anything I could do to help?" she then asked.  
"You could help us out a lot…" said Lady Hatt as she walked Miss Sophie to Elizabeth. "You can take us to her fashion show can't you?"  
"We would be ever so grateful…" added Miss Sophie. Elizabeth and her driver didn't hesitate to reply and let them get aboard as quickly as they could. The wind had messed up Lady Hatt's hair and crumpled her hat but hadn't done a thing to Sophie in the slightest.  
"How do you do that?" wondered Elizabeth.  
"Magic!" smiled Sophie sarcastically as they soon set off waving at Duck as they passed by. Elizabeth couldn't quite believe who was sitting in her cab and was just shocked going along the road at the thought of it.  
"Miss Sophie, the Miss Sophie is in my cab and she looks wonderful…" she muttered to herself. Time was against Lady Hatt and Sophie after their delay but Elizabeth was doing her all to get them to their location on time. Beeping her horn loudly to clear the way, the bossy lorry was rather enjoying her role and Sophie could only smile at her enthusiasm.  
"You never mentioned that your road transport is just as excellent," she remarked to Lady Hatt. "Apart from that tree branch, I haven't seen a bad thing here since arriving."  
"Topham will be pleased…" grinned Lady Hatt. She may have been smiling on the outside but deep down was worrying they wouldn't make it in time. Lady Hatt was becoming very anxious indeed…

"Move please!" cried Elizabeth. "Very important lorry with very, very important guest onboard!" she added as she beeped her horn loudly. The traffic was moving aside with each peep of her horn as she then zoomed on through. Being able to go faster than normal was helping everyone out and Lady Hatt and Miss Sophie were both relieved when they eventually saw the exhibition centre in the distance. It had felt like they were never going to get there after the branch incident.  
"Thank goodness…" sighed Lady Hatt as soon enough, Elizabeth pulled up outside the building with minutes to spare before the show was to begin. There waiting were yet more crowds and Miss Sophie took it all in her stride. Yet again despite the strong winds, her hair seemingly didn't move and wasn't ruined at all. Lady Hatt couldn't say the same and she struggled to hold onto her hat in the breeze. "Oh dear, just my luck…" she muttered with her hair in quite a state. She dared not think how bad she looked as she made her way inside. Sophie was just as relieved and immediately went back to Elizabeth.  
"Thank you," she said before beginning to make her way inside. "I wouldn't have got here without you."  
"No problem," said Elizabeth. "It was an honour, Miss Sophie…a real, real honour." she added as the model made her way inside the centre for her fashion show. Elizabeth couldn't help but show her pride and just smiled widely as men from the press began to take photos of her. She felt just like Miss Sophie now with photographers taking many photos and children calling out her name for her attention. It was quite overwhelming for Elizabeth but she took it in her stride. Come the following morning, Elizabeth and her driver were shocked to see that they were both on the front page as well as Miss Sophie and the report on her fashion show.  
"My word…" said her driver. "_A lorra lorry help…_what a headline." he then joked. Elizabeth just smiled. She'd never expected to get on a front page of a newspaper ever and just by doing a helpful deed, here she was.  
"I could get rather used to all this attention," she joked "It does wonders for your confidence and gives a nice warm feeling on the inside. I bet that's how Miss Sophie feels all the time."  
"I'm sure she does…" agreed the driver as he left the newspaper for Elizabeth to look at the photo once more.  
"My word," grinned Elizabeth. "My word indeed…"


End file.
